Collier Smith Honored by City Schools Foundation
Collier Smith’s service to public education is no laughing matter but the gala honoring her should be a ball of fun. The 13thAnnual Excellence in Education Gala will honor Smith and feature Discovery School on January 24. Smith joins an exceptional group of civic leaders to be honored by The City Schools Foundation for their support of public education.
Smith is a community leader who served on the Board of Education for Murfreesboro City Schools from 2011-2018. A founding Trustee and Secretary of The City Schools Foundation, Smith chaired the first Excellence in Education Gala honoring astronauts Dr. Rhea Seddon and Hoot Gipson in 2007.
“Smith has a fantastic sense of humor and roasting her will be great fun,” says Brook LaRoche, friend and co-chair of the gala. “The night will be full of laughter for a great cause.”
Smith and her husband Fant have lived in Murfreesboro for 23 years. Their three teenage children, Sally, Fant, and Helen, attended Discovery School for their elementary years. She co-founded Discovery School’s fundraising organization, the Explorer Fund, which was created to establish a science laboratory for the school. She continues to support Discovery School where she initiated and continues to organize the Senior Homecoming Parade. In 2016, the Discovery School Parent Teacher Association honored Smith with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sponsors for the evening include: The LaRoche Foundation, City Tile & Floor Covering Co., Adams Family Foundation, Advance Financial, Family Practice Partners, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Tommy and Jeanne Bragg, Ellen K. Slicker, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist, Evening Exchange Club, Franklin Synergy Bank, the Honorable Bart Gordon, Johnson + Bailey Architects, David and Brook LaRoche, Bob and Betsy Murfree, Murfreesboro Anesthesia Group, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Republic Services, Dr. and Mrs. Peter Robertson, Saint Thomas Rutherford, SmartBank, Stones River Dermatology, Turner Construction, Volunteer State Bank, Wilson Bank & Trust, Woodfin’s Funeral Home, Greg and Anna Stewart, Matt and Katherine Layman and more.
Smith joins former honorees Doug Young, Drs. Max and Mary Moss, John Floyd, Ed and Andrea Loughry, Tommy and Jeannie Bragg, Dr. Sidney and Elizabeth McPhee, Dr. Susan Andrews, John Hood, Rhea Seddon and “Hoot” Gibson, Gloria and Ted LaRoche, Joyce Taylor, and Bart Gordon in receiving this distinguished honor.
The 2020 Gala will spotlight Discovery School. Discovery is an academic magnet school and home to approximately 400 students located on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. Ms. Kristina Maddux, principal and Ms. Jessica Snell, assistant principal serve as the administrative team for the school.
The gala will be held at MTSU’s new Student Union Center with Brook LaRoche and Stephanie Roach serving as chairs of the event. Reservations for the Gala are now available. Individual tickets may be purchased for $250 and sponsorships begin at $1,500.
The City Schools Foundation is a group of civic and business leaders banding together to benefit Murfreesboro City Schools’ pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students. For additional information, please call 893-2313.
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